the operation began on 26 august 1943. divisions started move on 1,400-kilometer front stretched between smolensk , sea of azov. overall, operation executed 36 combined arms, 4 tank , 5 air armies. 2,650,000 personnel brought ranks massive operation. operation use 51,000 guns, 2,400 tanks , 2,850 planes.
the dnieper third largest river in europe, behind volga , danube. in lower part, width can reach 3 kilometres, , being dammed in several places made larger. moreover, western shore—the 1 still retaken—was higher , steeper eastern, complicating offensive further. in addition, opposite shore transformed vast complex of defenses , fortifications held wehrmacht.
faced such situation, soviet commanders had 2 options. first give time regroup forces, find weak point or 2 exploit (not in lower part of dnieper), stage breakthrough , encircle german defenders far in rear, rendering defence line unsupplied , next useless (very german panzers bypassed maginot line in 1940). option supported marshal zhukov , deputy chief of staff a. i. antonov, considered substantial losses after fierce battle of kursk. second option stage massive assault without waiting, , force dnieper on broad front. option left no additional time german defenders, lead larger casualties successful deep operation breakthrough. second option backed i. v. stalin due concern german scorched earth policy might devastate region if red army did not advance fast enough.
stavka (the soviet high command) chose second option. instead of deep penetration , encirclement, soviet intended make full use of partisan activities intervene , disrupt germany s supply route germans not send reinforcements or take away soviet industrial facilities in region. stavka paid high attention possible scorched earth activities of german forces view preventing them rapid advance.
the assault staged on 300-kilometer front simultaneously. available means of transport used transport attackers opposite shore, including small fishing boats , improvised rafts of barrels , trees (like 1 in photograph). preparation of crossing equipment further complicated german scorched earth strategy total destruction of boats , raft building material in area. crucial issue heavy equipment. without it, bridgeheads not stand long.
soviet organisation
central front (known belorussian front after 20 october 1943), commanded konstantin rokossovsky , accounted 579,600 soldiers
2nd tank army, led aleksei rodin / semyon bogdanov (since september)
9th tank corps, led hryhoriy rudchenko (kia), boris bakharov
60th army, led ivan chernyakhovsky
13th army, led nikolay pukhov
65th army, led pavel batov
61st army, led pavel belov
48th army, led prokofy romanenko
70th army, led ivan galanin / vladimir sharapov (september - october) / aleksei grechkin (since october)
16th air army, led serhiy rudenko
voronezh front (known 1st ukrainian front after 20 october 1943), commanded nikolai vatutin , accounted 665,500 soldiers
3rd guards tank army, led pavlo rybalko
1st tank army, led mikhail katukov
4th guard tank corps, led pavel poluboyarov
1st guard cavalry corps, led viktor baranov
5th guards army, led aleksei zhadov
4th guards army, led hryhoriy kulyk / aleksei zygin (kia) / ivan galanin
6th guards army, led ivan chistiakov
38th army, led nikandr chibisov / kyrylo moskalenko (since october)
47th army, led pavel korzun / pylyp zhmachenko (september - october) / vitaliy polenov (since october)
27th army, led sergei trofimenko
52nd army, led konstantin koroteev
2nd air army, led stepan krasovsky
steppe front (known 2nd ukrainian front after 20 october 1943), commanded ivan konev
southwestern front (known 3rd ukrainian front after 20 october 1943), commanded rodion malinovsky
southern front (known 4th ukrainian front after 20 october 1943), commanded fyodor tolbukhin
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